Is the Clutch of the Exam Car Intentionally Adjusted Higher by the Test Center?
2 Answers
The clutch of the exam car is not intentionally adjusted higher by the test center. Impact on the test items: First, the difference in the clutch most significantly affects the slope parking and starting. During the start, the examinee's operation of the exam car's clutch may feel very different from their usual operation of the coach car's clutch. Second, the difference in the clutch affects the speed control during reverse parking and parallel parking. If the speed is not well controlled, these two tasks become much more difficult. Special attention must be paid to these two items. Impact of unfamiliarity with the clutch on mentality: The first item during the exam is prone to problems. Once the first item goes wrong, many examinees tend to panic, disrupting the rhythm of the exam and ultimately leading to failure.
Having taught driving for so many years, I've seen many students blame their failures on the exam car's clutch being adjusted too high. Honestly, the test center has no reason to play such tricks—with hundreds of people taking the test daily, the clutch plate wear is naturally much worse than on training cars. Think about it: a training car might be used once every three days, while an exam car gets stomped on hundreds of times a day. If the friction plate wears half a millimeter thinner, the clutch engagement point rises by two centimeters. Not to mention exam cars come in various brands—the clutch point of a Volkswagen is different from a BYD. I advise students to attend a mock test before the exam, practicing hill starts and parallel parking multiple times to get a feel for the semi-engagement vibration and adapt to clutch height differences. Also, pay attention to adjusting the exam car's seat, as its height affects clutch pedal pressure.
